Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-02-11
HUNTED DOWN.

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share Of the risks incident TO detec-
tive work, but the very first case as
signed mehad more peril in it than any
four others combined. l had done
|ispot ting" and Swallowing" and had
helped on two or three cases, when l
was sent to Milwaukee to look after
an embezzler. The case was stated in
a nutshell. A Mrs. Pierce, a widow
OF wealth, and a woman who trusted
i her servants altogether too much, re.
ceived one day from the east by ex-
press a package OF money amounting
to $4,000. She had been in the
habit of sending her butler to the
bank to make deposits for her,
and now and then. to draw
money on her written order. He
had been with her for several years
as q sort of man of all work
in the house, and she had found
him strictly honest. She gave him
the money to deposit without q
fenr of his being tempted. He was
NOT seen after he left the house. He
did not go to the bank, and for three
or four days Mrs. Pierce and others
labored under the belief that he had
been robbed and murdered. The
hunt for his dead body was going on
when / reached Milwaukee.
The name OF the butler was John
Lane, and he was described to me as
q sandy haired, red-faced man, weigh
ing l6O pounds, and wearing a sandy
moustache. His habits were declared
to be above reproach, and Mrs. Pierce
Indignantly resented my suggestion
that he might have run away. So
did the local detective who had the
case in hand. l held from the first
to the theory that he had run away.
He had been told to hurry back. He
could have reached the bank in a walk
Of fifteen minutes, having only two or
three turns to make. 1t was at
2 o'clock in the afternoon, and
he could be i'll no personal dam
ger. No one could be found
who had seen him between the house
and the bank, although he was we'll
known. But the best clue was found
in Lanes room. There was q hand
full OF sandy hair in a paper under the
lavatory. There was another paper
spotted with lather, in which were
enough bristles to make a moustache.
Behind an old trunk was a bottle
which had contained hair dye
Mrs. Pierce received the money
about 10 o'clock in the forenoon, and
she remarked to Lane that she would
have him deposit alter dinner. He
waited on the table at noon, and
there was no change in his appear
ance, and between that time and 2 he
shaved off his moustache, cut off a
lot OF his hair, applied the dye, and
Mrs. Pierce remembered that he was
mutlied up as he went out, leaving by
the side door.
Now came the hardest part OF the
work. When you know which way a.
criminal is heading it is quite easy to
keep his trail, but when you can't say
whether he is in New York or Omaha,
or that he may not be hiding within
two blocks Of you, it is quite differ
ent matter. From the servants in the
house learned that Lane had always
declared that he hated the very sight
OF cities and towns, and had no care
for fine clothes and society. He also
had a great horror OF the water. This
seemed to argue that he would not
head for Europe, as at first feared.
1t was we'll known that he had a holy
horror of the west, having read of saw
age Indians, prairie fires, grizzly bears
rattlesnakes, etc. That seemed to az.
que that he would not go west Would
he 90 north or south? | was helped
out Of my dilemma in a curious way.
l had been at every steamboat Office
and railroad depot, meeting with no
success, and was standing in front OF
the Second National bank, when a
tarmer-looking man accosted me with:
"What do you say about this bill?
l say it's good and the old woman
says it's bad?"
1t WIS ~ five he had, and the "old
woman sat in q wagon ON the oppo-
site side OF the street.
"Why does she suspect it to be
bad!" l asked, as I surveyed the
bill.
"Well, il was given to me four or
five days ago by u chap who rode out
home with us, had supper, and then
cut across to the railroad station.
shouldn't have charged him over sew
enty-6ve cents at the most, and his
liberality seems queer"
was dead certain from his first
words that I had got track of my
man. We went into the bank to sat
isfy him that the bill was all right,
g. and then crossed to the wagon.
want to tell you that country people
are head and shoulders above the
average city residents III the matter
! OF; observation and in remembering
what they see.
"Welf, one reason why I suspect
this man." said the wife, t.was because
his hair was dreadfully haggled and
then. dyed. Such botch work YOU
never saw. His hair was Hin streaks
OF black and red, and he'd got the dye
on his ears and neck" 5
The fellow had tried to play smart
in leaving the city by one of Che high
ways, but accident had revealed his:
trail. He had taken the train at d
station about. fifteen miles away, and
he had four days the start Of nue.. The
first move was to run out to the coun-
try station at which he had taken the
train. I there found that he had
made many inquiries about the north
ern and western part OF the state, and
had finally purchased q ticket for.
Fond dll Lac The descrintinn Of him